Vestibulo-ocular reflex
Vestibulo-ocular reflex
7 ms–15 ms
Reflex — does not reach the brain
The fastest reflex in the body, and the reason you can read a sign while walking but cannot read one while shaking your phone. The three-neuron arc from the semicircular canals to the eye muscles is short enough that the eyes begin compensating roughly a hundredth of a second after the head starts to move. Any camera stabilisation system is trying to replicate this and none of them are as fast.
The numbers
- Typical
- 10 ms
- Range
- 7 ms to 15 ms
- What it is
- Reflex — does not reach the brain
- What is measured
- Head turns; time until the eyes counter-rotate to hold the image still.
Why this is a reflex
A reflex arc turns round in the spinal cord or brainstem and never involves conscious processing. That is why reflex latencies are an order of magnitude shorter than reaction times, and why you cannot train a reaction down to a reflex figure.
Where it sits against everything else
Reflexes at the top, reactions in the middle, design values off the end of the scale.
Vestibulo-ocular reflex — Reflex 10 ms
Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex — Reflex 22 ms
Latency added by your screen and mouse — Physical limit 35 ms
Blink reflex — Reflex 40 ms
Withdrawal reflex — Reflex 90 ms
Time a jab takes to land — Physical limit 110 ms
Sprint start reaction — Reaction 140 ms
Simple tactile reaction time — Reaction 155 ms
Simple auditory reaction time — Reaction 170 ms
Professional gamer reaction time — Reaction 190 ms
Formula One start reaction — Reaction 200 ms
Simple visual reaction time — Reaction 250 ms
How reaction time changes with age — Reaction 250 ms
What sleep loss does to reaction time — Reaction 300 ms
What alcohol does to reaction time — Reaction 320 ms
Recognition reaction time — Reaction 340 ms
Choice reaction time — Reaction 380 ms
Time to hit a 95 mph fastball — Physical limit 400 ms
Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty — Physical limit 450 ms
Time to play a 90 mph delivery — Physical limit 500 ms
Driver reaction to an expected event — Reaction 850 ms
Reflexes
| What | Typical | Range | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex | 22 ms | 18 ms–24 ms | Reflex |
| Blink reflex | 40 ms | 30 ms–60 ms | Reflex |
| Withdrawal reflex | 90 ms | 70 ms–150 ms | Reflex |
Common questions
- How long is vestibulo-ocular reflex?
- Typically 10 ms, with a real range of 7 ms to 15 ms. Head turns; time until the eyes counter-rotate to hold the image still.
- Is that a reflex or a reaction?
- Reflex — does not reach the brain. A reflex arc turns round in the spinal cord or brainstem and never involves conscious processing. That is why reflex latencies are an order of magnitude shorter than reaction times, and why you cannot train a reaction down to a reflex figure.
Related pages
- Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex 22 ms
- Blink reflex 40 ms
- Withdrawal reflex 90 ms
- A reflex is not a reaction Why one is 20 ms and the other 250
- Stopping distance at every speed Reaction distance plus braking distance, computed
- Measure your own reaction time Five attempts, median reported
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place